Intimate Bohemian Wedding at a Charming Outdoor Bookstore
In honor of National Book Lovers’ Day we are highlighting this bohemian wedding held at the charming outdoor bookstore Bart’s Books in Ojai! The couple tied the knot surrounded by pages and pages filled with romantic, heroic, and beautiful stories—starting their own chapter in one of the best ways possible.
Read on for a wealth of unique wedding inspiration, then grab your favorite book and spend the day celebrating excellent literature.
From Forage Ojai:
Ojai is a town filled with a vibrant life despite its small size. Nestled in between lush mountains, this valley has a certain kind of magic to it. As a florist who is unconventional and loves to celebrate the unexpected, we could not have been more honored to be part of Dakota and River’s wedding. It truly captured our hearts. The intimate details. The elegant simplicity. The raw, unedited love story. This is what Ojai dreams are made of. But now for the words of the bride, Dakota. For her story is best told in her own voice:
“We were sitting in an airport talking about our wedding plans, and I opened up an article about location ideas for small, unique weddings. It said to think of somewhere you both feel comfortable, and I blurted out "bookstore or coffee shop." We immediately thought of Bart's. We had a small ceremony with immediate family, his best man and my maid of honor. There were about 15 people in total. The day started off with getting ready, he and I went to go take photos in the rain with our awesome photographer, and then we had a small rainy day bookstore ceremony in the afternoon with a rent-a-pastor named Arland Steen. (I want to add that River and I both hate taking pictures and make lots of weird faces, so Lorie does an incredible job.) After the ceremony was over, we continued taking photos and wandered around the bookstore. Our guests were even able to shop. The bookstore owner was amused that immediately after signing as a witness, the best man ran off to buy some Star Wars books.
We had rented out the bookstore for a couple hours. After our time was up, we went over to the Deer Lodge, where they set our tables up inside for dinner given the rain. It was a perfect wedding day that reflected us as a couple. We wanted something simple, intimate, and on a budget, and that's just what we made happen!”
Venue: Bart’s Books | Restaurant for Reception Dinner: Deer Lodge of Ojai | Flowers: Forage Ojai | Mini Pies: Cakewalk Desserts | Hair & Makeup: Rise Ojai | Photographer: Lorie Chambless Photography | Dress: Chokethai on Etsy